Method for packaging loose fibrous material from a continuous flow

ABSTRACT

PROCESS FOR PACKAGING OF LOOSE FIBROUS MATERIAL, SUCH AS TOBACCO, FROM A CONTINUOUS FLOW, IN PORTIONS SUBJECTED TO SUCCESSIVE COMPRESSIONS IN A PRESSING DEVICE. THE PRESSING DEVICE HAS A PRESSING CYLINDER WHICH IS OPEN ON BOTH ENDS, WITH REMOVABLE SIDE WALLS. PROVISION IS MADE FOR PLACING A BOTTOM PLATE AND A TOP PLATE ON THE PACKAGED MATERIAL.

Oct. 26, 1971 c. BROCHOT v 3,614,850

METHOD FOR PACKAGING LOOSE FIBROUS MATERIAL FROM A CONTINUOUS FLOW FiledJuly 18, 1968 FIG.2

United States Patent 32 rm. (:1. B65!) 1/24, 25/02, 43/08 US. Cl. 53-241 Claim ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE Process for packaging of loosefibrous material, such as tobacco, from a continuous flow, in portionssubjected to successive compressions in a pressing device. The pressingdevice has a pressing cylinder which is open on both ends, withremovable side walls. Provision is made for placing a bottom plate and atop plate on the packaged material.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION The invention is a continuation-in-part ofmy co-pending patent application Ser. No. 476,070 filed July 30, 1965now abandoned, and refers to a method for pressing loose fibrousmaterial which is supplied in a continuous flow, into packages of apredetermined constant weight, and more particularly for pressing loosetobacco in several portions which are subjected to equal pressure bysuccessive compressions until the predetermined package has eventuallybeen attained, and to an apparatus for performing this method.

Various methods and apparatus have been known for packaging or balingloose, lightweight, fibrous material by reciprocatingly moving a plungeror presser in a pressing device while the material is continuously fedinto the press. Other methods are known for compressing loose materialinto a package by one pressing stroke; but none of these known methodshad been able to avoid uneven pressing and furthermore to attainpackages of a predetermined, constant weight. This problem is solved bythis invention.

SUMMARY The invention consists in such novel features, constructionarrangements, combinations of parts and improvements as may be shown anddescribed in connection with the method and the apparatus hereindisclosed by way of example only and as illustrative of a preferredembodiment. The basic idea of the invention is to solve the problem ofcompressing certain fibrous materials such as tobacco which tend toswell to a considerable extent, by a successive number of compressionsof individually fed portions until the required quantity and weight ofthe package is attained. Objects and advantages of the invention will beset forth in part hereafter and in part will be obvious herefrom or maybe learned by practicing the invention, the same being realized andattained by means of the instrumentalities and combinations pointed outin the appended claims.

One of the objects of the invention is to provide a method by which thequantity for packaging of the tobacco is subdivided into as manysub-portions as the capacity of the pressing apparatus requires.

A further object of the invention is to provide a method by which thepressing apparatus is fed with such decreasing quantities instead ofsuccessive equal quantities, that the volume of material which issubjected to each compressing action, is constant, at least up to andincluding the next to last compression, while the final compression isperformed on a volume which is equal to that of each one of thepreceding compressions.

Furthermore, it is an object of the invention to provide packagingcontrivances including a level detector in the pressing apparatus, suchas a photo-electric cell, arranged to stop the feeding of the tobacco tothe pressing device and to actuate the compressing apparatus when theaccumulated material has reached a certain level in the pressingapparatus.

Various further and more specific purposes, features and advantages willclearly appear from the detailed description given below taken inconnection with the accompanying drawing, which forms part of thisspecification and illustrates merely by way of example only anembodiment of the apparatus of the invention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING In the following description and in theclaim, parts will be identified by specific names for convenience, butsuch names are intended to be as generic in their application to similarparts as the art will permit. Like reference characters denote likeparts in the several figures of the drawing, in which:

FIG. 1 is a schematic plan view of the feeding system of the packagingpress;

FIG. 2 is a schematic side elevation of the packaging press;

FIG. 3 is a schematic view of the upper plate feeding device of thepress;

FIG. 4 is a partial view of the final enclosure of the package.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT Referring now in more detail tothe drawing illustrating a preferred embodiment by which the inventionmay be realized, there is in FIG. 1 a conveyor 1, preferably one of thewell-known, conventional belt conveyors, which feeds continuously, loosematerial to a distributing conveyor 2 having a hopper 3, 3' at each endthereof. Conveyors of this type are equally well-known and conventionalin the use for stockpiling material into silos. Conveyor 1 is driven byan electric motor not shown in the schematic drawing, this motor beingobvious and conventional and is not a part of the invention and is notclaimed. Conveyor 2 is driven by a conventional twospeed gear motor,also not shown in the drawing for the same reason as stated withrelation to conveyor 1. The drive of conveyor 2 can be reversed byreversing the direction of rotation of the gear motor. Thus, conveyor 2feeds alternatingly hoppers 3, 3'. Scales 31, 31, schematicallyindicated, in FIG. 1, are arranged for support ing hoppers 3, 3'. Scales31, 31 have electric contacts, one intermediate and one final on maximumcontact, both of which can be adjusted. Scales of this kind arewellknown, commercially obtainable, and per se do not form a part ofthis invention.

Two belt conveyors 9, 9 are arranged at right angles to conveyor 2.Conveyors 9, 9 are automatically loaded by delivery heads connected withscales 31, 31'. Each one of conveyors 9, 9" feeds the weighed materialinto a pressing apparatus, generally designated by numeral 10. Press ingapparatus 10 has a body or stand 11 and a platen 12. Below body 11 is aplate 26 arranged for receiving the base 29 of the packing case, that isthe bottom of the compressed package. Encasing plate 26 are four movableside panels 25, one on each side (two are shown in FIG. 2). Near the topof body 11 is a photo-electric cell 20.

Near the top of body 11 is a pusher 21, actuated by a fluid power motor14, acting horizontally across body 11 for evenly planing the heap ofmaterial which has been delivered by conveyor 9.

A further mechanism is provided for automatically placing a lid or topplate 28 on top of the compressed package. This mechanism consists of afluid power motor for pushing one lid 28 at a time over a support plate24 to cover the compressed package in body 11. Lids 28 are stacked upand are supported by two sets of forks, 22, 23 which are arranged to beretracted alternatingly upon given cycle signals.

The operation of the packaging of the loose fibrous material isperformed as follows:

Loose material is fed by conveyor 1 over conveyor 2 into hoppers 3, 3.When a certain amount of material has been delivered to hopper 3 (or 3')at full speed of conveyor 2, the first contact on scale 31 (or 31)causes the gear motor of the conveyor to step down to a much reducedspeed for accurately completing the pre-set weight of the material onthe scale. When the pre-set final weight has been attained, the secondor final contact on the scale causes the reversal of the gear motor andthe shifting back of the gear to the higher speed. Conveyor 2 then isfeeding into the other hopper on the other scale. At the same instantthe weighed portion of the material is delivered from the scale toconveyor 9 (or 9') which then carries the material to the press 10.Conveyors 9, 9' may be arranged for shuttling the material rather thancontinuously delivering it in a single flow. When press body 11 has beenfilled, photo-electric cell acting as a level detector, causes theemptying of hopper 3 onto conveyor 9 to be stopped and also stopping ofthe conveyor. At this time pusher 21 levels the heap in body 11.Subsequently platen 12 is set in motion for a first compressing of thefirst filling. After platen 12 has been retracted, a photo-electric cell20 becomes again free, the feed is automatically restarted. This cycleis repeated until the scale 31 of hopper 3 has returned to zero. At thispoint a delay relay is activated for the next following operations.Pusher 21 makes one more levelling movement. Then first set of forks 22is retracted for dropping one lid 28 which is immediately pushed overplate 24 onto the top of the material in body 11. While forks 22 returnto their starting point, forks 23 are withdrawn letting the pile of lidsdrop and thereupon return for intercepting the pile above the nowlowermost lid. With lid 28 in place on top of the material, and thetimed delay of the relay being expired, a last compression of thematerial with the lid 28 on top of it takes place whereupon platen 12remains in the lowermost position while side panels 25 are returned totheir initial position. There is then sufiicient space to place awrapper 27 consisting preferably of four articulated panels around thepackage. Lid 28 and base 29 are kept together by battens 30 extendingover the entire length of lid 28 and base 29, (FIG. 4). Eventually thefinished package may be carried off to a stacking area. This lastoperation does not pertain to the invention.

While the invention has been described and illustrated with respect to acertain preferred example which gives satisfactory results, it will beunderstood by those skilled in the art after understanding the principleof the invention, that various changes and modifications may be madewithout departing from the spirit and scope of the invention and it isintended therefor in the appended claim to cover all such changes andmodifications.

I claim:

1. A method for compressing and packaging predetermined quantities ofloose fibrous material, particularly tobacco, and maintaining saidmaterial in a compression condition within a container comprising thesteps of (1) feeding quantities of tobacco of predetermined weight andvolume to a compactor,

(2) placing said quantities within a first rigid enclosure,

(3) subjecting said tobacco to a first compaction step within saidenclosure by applying a first compaction pressure to selected portionsof said enclosure,

(4) releasing said first compaction pressure,

(5) feeding at least one successive quantity of tobacco to saidcontainer,

(6) repeating said compaction step after the introduction of eachsuccessive quantity until said predetermined quantity is achieved,

(7) removing selected portions of said first rigid enclosure includingat least two side members and retaining selected other portions thereofwhile maintaining said tobacco under compaction pressure,

(8) introducing a substitute rigid enclosure means for each selectedenclosure portion previously removed,

(9) connecting each said replaced enclosure portion with adjacent onesof those portions previously retained suflicient to retain said materialin a compacted state,

(10) releasing said compacting pressure and removing said assembledpackage from said compactor.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,511,019 5/1970 Neitzel 53-24 X3,514,921 6/1970 Tezuka 53-124 3,524,297 8/1970 Falborg 5324 X 3,451,1856/1969 Tezuka 5324 X 3,451,190 6/1969 Tezuka 5324 X 3,475,879 11/1969Merkel 53-24 X 3,501,890 3/1970 Hunt 53--2A X 192,235 6/1877 Craig 53-24X 1,590,995 6/1926 Nelson 5'3124 (D) 2,046,367 7/1936 Collins 53-242,742,747 4/1956 Seaton 5324 2,763,973 9/1956 Atkins 5324 3,227,354l/1966 Gunyou 53-124 (D) 3,260,033 7/1966 Shaw 93-93 (.1) 3,307,3203/1967 Harriss 53-124 3,315,435 4/1967 Gunyou 53-24 3,379,320 4/1968Loach 93-93 (C) 3,405,744 10/1968 Bowman 53-124 (TSR) 3,439,397 4/1969Marshak 29-91 WAYNE A. MORSE, JR., Primary Examiner US. Cl. X.R.

53-l24 A, 124 B; 93-1 (WZ)

